NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday revealed his intention to “detox” and spend several months in solitude in the Himalayas after his retirement next month. Answering a question while addressing a reporter to announce the Delhi Assembly elections, he shared his post-retirement plans with an introspective touch.
“I will detoxify for the next four-five months, go to the depths of the Himalayas, get away from all of your gaze. I need some ‘ekant’ (solitude) and ‘swadhyay’ (self-study),” Kumar said. , who will retire on February 18, he said.
In October last year, Kumar was rescued from the remote Ralam village in Uttarkhand’s Pithoragarh district after an emergency landing of a helicopter due to inclement weather and was stranded above 12,000 feet.
Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Bihar/Jharkhand cadre, also shared a personal aspiration to give back to the society teach disadvantaged children.
He told of his humble beginnings, studying in a municipal school where classes were held under a tree.
“I started learning ABCD in the sixth class. We carried a blackboard and sat under a tree to study. As a passion, I want to go back to those roots and teach those children,” he said.
Known for incorporating poetry into his speeches, Kumar used evocative couplets to underline his messages.
Referring to the tendency of some parties to question the integrity of the Election Commission, he recited:
“Aarop aur ilzamat ka daur chale koi gila nahi; jhooth ke gubbaron ko bulandi mile, koi shikwa nahi; har parinam me praman dete hain par wo bina saboot shaq ki nai duniya raunak karte hain.”
This poetic petition was a call to avoid baseless accusations and appreciate the transparent work of the Election Commission.
During the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha ElectionsCEC Kumar had quipped: “It is not appropriate to blame the EC for unfulfilled wishes when one has not done his job properly.”
Kumar assumed charge as 25th CEC on May 15, 2022, after serving as Election Commissioner since September 2020. During his tenure, he oversaw historic elections, including the 16th presidential and vice-presidential elections in 2022 and the elections to the assembly in 11 states.
Prior to his appointment as CCA, Kumar held several key positions, including finance secretary and chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Council. As Finance Secretary, he spearheaded major reforms such as bank mergers, recapitalization of public sector banks, and crackdown on shell companies.